Hotel review: ‘It’s all of 300 yards from Grafton Street, but never coasts on its apple-pip centrality’

New owners have spent €6m on an upgrade of a Drury Street hotel that won regular guests with its centrality and charm. Can it step up without losing its specialness?

Brooks Hotel in Dublin

Pól Ó Conghaile

Brooks has always been a kind of best-kept secret in Dublin for me. Not that it’s off-books or clubby. It’s on booking.com like every hotel, and busy with American tourists when I stayed last week. It’s not particularly hip. There’s no spa, terrace or garden, or much lounging space.

But this hotel always had feeling. You’d find a comfort, charm and welcome surprising for a city-centre four-star. It’s all of 300 yards from Grafton Street, but never coasted on its apple-pip centrality. It had the pride of a family-owned stay, and a habit of exceeding expectations.